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Poll again ranks veterinarians near top in ethics, honesty

WASHINGTON — The public continues to rate veterinarians high when it comes to honesty and ethics.

The latest Gallup poll, which surveys human behavior and attitude trends, ranks veterinarians in third place behind nurses and pharmacists, respectively.

According to the poll, 71 percent of the population rates the honesty and ethical standards of veterinarians as "very high" or "high."

Medical doctors, dentists, engineers, clergy, college teachers, police and psychiatrists round out the top 10. Car salesmen came in last, after insurance managers and advertisers.

While veterinarians traditionally perform well in the poll, the 2006 rating is the profession's highest. In 1999 and 2000, DVMs scored positive rankings of 63 percent and 66 percent, and the number rose to 68 percent of respondents in 2002.

Gallup has conducted an honesty and ethics poll since 1976, but veterinarians are not an included profession every year. The latest results were based on telephone interviews conducted in December with 1,009 adults nationwide. The poll has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.